Rory McIlroy back to his best with lowest PGA career round

The secret? “I just aimed at the flags, it’s as simple as that . . . I was taking dead aim a little bit more,”

said Rory McIlroy of his latest wonder round, a 61 – with 11 birdies and not sight nor sound of a bogey to mar his scorecard – in Saturday’s third round of the Wells Fargo Championship.

On days like these, McIlroy is majestic. Beyond compare. There have been other wonder rounds, of course. The 61 he shot as an amateur on the fearsome Dunluce links at Royal Portrush, in qualifying for the North of Ireland. Or even the 60 he shot at the Bears Club near his Florida home in preparation for the Masters. That time, he left a putt for a 59 marginally short.

At Quail Hollow on Saturday, there were no putts left behind. In all, McIlroy raised his putter to the heavens 11 times in acknowledgement of holing birdie putts. In truth, his iron play was exceptional and his putting true as he rolled in putts from eight, two, six, four, seven, 13, five, eight, three, ten and 14 feet for those 11 birdies that made him seem so special.

As fellow tour player Will MacKenzie, who was paired with him, put it: “He kind of has that deal when Tiger was at his top. When he’s on, he’s awesome!”

New record

For sure, this was another example of McIlroy’s “awesomeness”. It gave him a new course record at Quail Hollow, bettering his own mark by a stroke, and it gave him his lowest career round on the PGA Tour. It also gave him further feelgood vibes for this course, where he won his breakthrough event on the US Tour back in 2010.

So much has happened in the five years since that final round 62 gave him that maiden US title, but Saturday’s third round only served to add to the lore of the world’s number one player. “Five years of experience, five years of being out here, competing, winning Majors, losing Majors, you know, that’s the thing that really is the difference between who I am now and who I was five years ago,” said McIlroy.

That nine of McIlroy's 11 birdies came from inside ten feet provides the clue to the round. Sure, his putter was hot; but his iron play was close to perfection as he dialled in on the flags time after time with approach shots. The putting was dynamic, a short conversation and session with putting coach Dave Stockton in the run-up to the tournament providing the key to the problem.

“Just again, it’s one of those days where you’re visualising the line and you’re getting it right all the time and you’ve got good speed and everything fell in. It was nice.”

Birdies

McIlroy began the day with two pars and then carded 11 birdies over the next 14 holes, including a run of five consecutive birdies on the back nine.

What’s it like to be zoned in? McIlroy allowed us all a glimpse into what goes on in his head when he gets into the zone. “Every shot you look at, you visualise it perfectly. It’s all a mental thing. You’re picturing good shots, you’re visualising the lines on putts and you’re not getting in your own way,” he said.

“You’re just letting it happen . . . I feel like there’s a great flow to this golf course, it allows you to get out of your own way. I’ve got great memories here and I think I probably birdied every hole on this golf course through the years so there’s no reason why I shouldn’t do it again.

“It’s a cool feeling. You never quite know when you’re going to get into it or get into the zone, but when it happens you have to realise it and then that’s when you just go with it. I’m lucky enough that I’ve been in that frame of mind quite a bit. I know when it’s happening. I sort of know how to handle it.”

McIlroy isn’t inclined to look too far into the future but even he must be eyeing up the US PGA’s date with Quail Hollow in 2017.